Cam-and-ratchet vise.



ram-669,605. Patented Mar. l2, mnt.

' J. A. vERNnN.

CAM AND RATGHET VISE.

(Application led July 9, 1900.)

(,NowMudel.)

aww Womack,

:tu: imma #ET-Ens cn, PHOTO-uma.. wasmnmcm4 q4 c,

dNrrn Sterns JOSEPH A. VERNON, OF HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA.

CANI-AND-RATCHET VISE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,605, dated March 12, 1901.

Application filed July 9, 1900. Serial No. 23,028. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. VERNON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Homestead, Iin the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cam-and-Ratchet Vises; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to cam-and-ratchet vises, and has for its object the production of a new form` of simply-constructed, cheap, durable, and easily-operated vise belonging particularly to that special description of camand-ratchet vises wherein one jaw is fixed to the bench andis provided with an opening through its lower part for the passage of a sliding bar that is usually furnished with ratchet-teeth designed to be engaged by a pawl pivoted to the jaw-body. The second jaw of this character of vises is movable with and along the sliding bar and may be forced or jammed against the work by means of a camended arm pivoted to the sliding bar instead of being actuated by a screw, as is the case in the more common forms of vises. The immediate purpose of all cam-and-ratchet vises and of my invention as well is to save time by enabling the workman to quickly clamp his Work in the vise and as quickly release it.

Each constituent element of my invention is described in detail and its individual office, together with the mode of operation of the whole, fully explained hereinbelow.

Of the accompanying drawings, throughout which like letters refer to like parts, Figure l represents a top plan View, and Fig. 2 a side view, showing the relative positions of the parts when a piece of material is held by the jaws. Figs. 3 and i are respectively front elevations of the fixed and movable jaws, showing the openings through their lower portions for the passage of the sliding bar.

Considering the drawings, letter A designates part of a work-bench of any sort, to which is fixed the jaw B by means of bolts b b, passing through the bench and through the projecting ears b h of the jaw. A pawl h2 is pivoted to the upper rearward corner of jaw B, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) and there is provided through the lower part of the jaw a rectangular opening b3, (see Fig. 3,) through which passes the sliding bar C. Upon the upper surface of bar C, near the left-hand eX- tremity, will be noted the ratchet-teeth c c in engagement with the pawl b2. In Fig. 1 is shown a longitudinal vertical slot c', extending to the right-hand end of the bar, and upon each side of this end of the bar, thus divided by the slot,is formed a curved series of ratchetteeth to be again mentioned. These two series of teeth are in every respect iden tical and are marked c2 c2.

Letter D marks the movable jaw, which has twin parallel openings d d (see Fig. .4) through its lower or body portion, and the solid division-wall d between these openings travels the longitudinal slot c of the bar when the divided end thereof is passed through openings CZ d in assembling the parts. There will be noticed in division-wall d a screw-hole (l2, (see Fig. 4,) into which a plug d5 is tightly screwed. Encircling the plug is one end of a coil-spring E, the other end of which rests against the left-hand end wall of slot c'. These elements will be again referred to in the explanation of the mode of operation of myinvention.

Letter F designates a handle-bar, at the npper end of which a camfis formed. This cam is situated between the divided and ratchettoothed ends of bar C above described. It is held in place by the pivot-pin f.

Letter G marks the handle portion of a pawl-lever which is pivoted to the handle-bar by a pin g through duplicate wings g g', which straddle the bar. The pawl end of the lever is divided into twin wedge-form terminals g2 g2, constructed and arranged to engage the curved series of ratchet-teeth c2 c2 of the sliding bar C.

The mode of operation may be stated as follows: From an inspection of Fig. 2 it will be readily understood that bar C-that is, the sliding bar-may be moved toward the left through jaw B, but that its return is prevented by pawl b2 acting against the teeth c. To slide the bar to the right, pawl b2 must be raised. Considering also Fig. 1 it will be IOO seen that 'cam f, in contact with division-wall d of the movable jaw D,will force that jaw to the left against the force of A coil-spring E. Assume that a piece of work H is to be gripped in the vise. To accomplish this action, sliding bar C is moved to the left untilrjaw D meets the Work, when the handle-bar is depressed,

forcing `the jaw strongly against the work through the agency of the cam. Again, suppose the bar C to be moved toward the left until the jaw D is Within a short distance of the work. Now if the handle-bar be depressed the cam will force jaw D forward until the work is reached and held. At thesame time the wedge-form ends of the pawl-lever will engage with the notches or teeth c2 c2, and the work will be firmly gripped until the pawlleverI is released and the handle-bar raised, whereupon spring E moves jaw D to the right and instantly frees the work. As the handle portion G of the pawl-lever is of some length and alined with the handle-bar, the operations of releasing the pawl-lever and raising the handle-bar are conveniently performed with one hand, leaving the other hand disengaged to grasp the work.l Where the workman must place in and remove from his vise many articles of the same shape-and size one after another, the distance from the work through which jaw D must be moved by the cam in order that the work lmay be'securely held and at the Sametime a proper engagement effected between the pawl lever and teeth c2 c2 may be readily determined by trial. Once this distance is determined and the sliding bar set the workman can clamp piece after piece of work, bringing the pawl-lever into engagement with the same teeth every time without necessarily looking at those parts. Itis believed to be clear from the foregoing that the operations of placing work in the vise and removing it therefrom may be performed with considerable rapidity.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

In a cam-and-ratchet v ise, the combination of a fixed jaw having an opening through its lower part and a pivoted pawl,'a sliding bar passing through. the opening in said fixed jaw and provided on its upper surface with ratchet-teeth varranged to engage said pawl, said slidingV bar having also a longitudinal vertical slot extending to and dividing one end of the sliding bar, the said divided end of the sliding bar being formed into curved series of ratchet-teeth, a movable jaw D having two openings through its lower part and a divisional wall between them, a screw-plug let into said divisional wall, a coil-spring E encircling said plug, a handle-bar having a cam end'pivoted in said slot, and a paWl-lever pivoted upon the handle bar and arranged to engage said curved series of ratchetteeth, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH A. VERNON.

Witnesses:

JOHN G. SILvEUs, J. A. KIRKLAND. 

